An Unexpected Twist of Fate
by Kristen3
Summary: David comes home from school devastated that his best friend is moving away, but things turn around in a way even Daphne's psychic powers couldn't foresee.


Daphne checked her watch and smiled. She was just about done with her housework for the day, and now David was due to come home from school any minute. He always came home eager to tell his mother what he had learned that day, or to show her the test he got back with an "A" on it. She loved the quiet in the apartment when both Niles and her son were gone, but Daphne always looked forward to seeing David arrive each day.

Right on cue, the front door bust open, and there stood David. "Hello, sweetheart," Daphne said. "How was school today?"

To Daphne's complete and utter surprise, David replied, "Terrible!"

"What's wrong?" Daphne asked, hugging him. She could hear him sniffling as she did her best to comfort him.

"You know my friend Joey?" David asked when Daphne finally let him go.

"Of course," Daphne replied. He and David had been friends for years. The boy had visited their house often. His family lived just down the hall in another of the Montana's apartments.

"He's moving away."

"Oh, that's a shame," Daphne said. No wonder he was upset.

David nodded. "He's moving to New York. His parents are getting a divorce 'cause his dad has a new girlfriend!"

Daphne's heart broke. She'd had no idea the family was having troubles like that. "Oh, David," Daphne said, pulling him close once again.

"He's my best friend, Mom. What am I gonna do now?"

Daphne wished she had an answer, but this was one of those problems a parent just can't fix. But before she could say anything, David spoke again.

"Are you and Daddy gonna get a divorce, too? Lots of kids in my class have divorced parents."

"No, sweetheart, you don't ever have to worry about that."

"But you and Dad fight sometimes," David said. His parents did their best not to disagree in front of him, but he was old enough now to know what "go to your room" means.

"We don't always agree, but we always manage to work things out. Your daddy and I were friends for years before we ever decided to get married. It makes it easier to talk things out when you know each other as well as Daddy and I do."

"Are you sure?" David asked. He didn't want to spend weekends with his dad, and constantly be shuttled between houses like most of his friends.

"Yes, I'm sure." Daphne knew David didn't know the whole story of what she and Niles had been through, how Niles had already been divorced twice. That was something they'd both decided he was too young to understand.

David let that sink in for a moment. He was glad his parents were sticking together. But then he remembered his original problem. "Now I have no friends," he said, in a voice so small, Daphne almost didn't hear him.

"David, you know that's not true." Daphne knew her son wasn't exactly popular, but he had a handful of friends in his class.

"But none of the other kids live in this building. Joey's my best friend!"

Unfortunately, Daphne couldn't argue with that. Seattle was a big city, and the kids in her son's class came from all over. "I'm sure you're just exaggerating," she said. "I bet if you looked, you'd probably find other kids who are just as lonely as you are." Daphne pictured her husband and brother-in-law when they were David's age. The two boys never made many friends when they were in school. She knew there had to be kids just like that in David's class.

"Well, maybe," David said, with an unconvinced shrug.

"This will turn around. You'll see. You know how I know?"

David shook his head, still doing his best not to cry.

"Because I'm psychic," Daphne said, smiling at him.

Seeing his mom smile, David couldn't help feeling a tiny bit better. His dad always said his mom knew exactly what to say to make a person feel better. It must've been one of the reasons his dad fell in love with her.

Daphne's heart warmed to see her son smiling. She knew his problem wasn't fixed, but at least he didn't look quite so devastated. "Why don't you go watch TV upstairs?"

David's eyes widened in surprise. His mom usually wouldn't let him go near the TV until his homework was finished. "Really? I can watch cartoons?"

"Yes," Daphne said. "Just this once. We won't tell your father." She grinned. She knew David would love the idea of getting away with something. David went upstairs to watch the TV in his parents' room.

As Daphne watched David leave the room, she mentally patted herself on the back. She'd at least managed to comfort her son, even if she couldn't actually solve his problem. She could remember from her own childhood how things that seemed to be the end of the world at the time simply didn't matter in just a few days. David's situation would likely be exactly like that.

She was just about to go back into the kitchen to start figuring out what to do for dinner when the doorbell rang. Somewhat puzzled, she opened the door. "Can I help you?" she asked, finding a strange woman and her young son standing before her.

"Yes," the woman said, smiling and warmly shaking Daphne's hand. "My family and I just moved here. We're in the apartment just above yours."

"Oh," Daphne replied. "This building is lovely. I'm sure you're going to like it."

The woman nodded. "I've been meeting a few of the other neighbors, and they told me you had a boy about my son's age. This is Tommy," she said, indicating the boy beside her.

"Hi," Tommy said, a bit shy.

Daphne couldn't believe this coincidence. Not even her powers could've predicted it. She shook Tommy's hand. "Me son David is upstairs right now. Would you like to meet him?"

Her question was answered by an enthusiastic nod.

"All right, then," Daphne replied. "By the way, my name's Daphne. Let me go upstairs to fetch David. I'll only be a moment." She walked upstairs and knocked on the door of the master bedroom. Apparently her son was feeling at least a little better now. She could hear him laughing at the cartoon he was watching. "David, sweetheart? Would you come downstairs?" At first, she got no response. "David," she said more firmly as she opened the door. "I know you're watching TV, but I think you should come downstairs now."

David looked at her, rolling his eyes. "You just said I could watch TV up here."

"I know that, but I really think you'll want to come down. It won't take long, I promise."

A commercial came on TV, so David got up, sighing. Daphne followed him back down the stairs. When he realized they had company, he gasped. He turned back to his mother, waiting for an explanation.

"These are our new neighbors," Daphne said. "Tommy lives just above us. Isn't that nice?"

"Yeah," David replied, apparently having forgotten all about the cartoon he'd been watching. He got over his shock enough to remember his manners. "Hi, I'm David," he said, shaking Tommy's hand.

Tommy smiled back shyly. The idea of being new in town made him nervous, but he was starting to feel better.

"You wanna come watch TV with me?" David asked.

Tommy looked at his mother for approval. When she gave a small nod, he turned back to David. "Sure."

The two boys went upstairs, with David talking a mile a minute about the Seahwaks, Mariners' games, and other subjects Daphne didn't catch. She turned to Tommy's mother, smiling.

"Tommy's been so nervous about moving and having to start a new school. I figured if he at least knew somebody around his age, he might feel better."

Daphne nodded. "I understand. Believe me, I think David needed this almost as much as Tommy did. I'll keep an eye on the two of them. Just let us know when you want Tommy to come home."

"Thanks," replied his mother. "He probably won't want to leave now." She laughed.

"Well, something tells me this won't be the last time he visits us," Daphne said. Even now, she couldn't quite believe what had just happened. But she'd learned long ago that life had a way of taking her completely by surprise. She had a feeling David was beginning to understand that, too.

**The End**


End file.
